


Switching Teams

by JamesSunderlandsPillow



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Comedy, Cute, Dialogue Heavy, Drama, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Girl/Girl, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, LBGTQ Pairing, LBGTQ themes, Pining, Romance, Yuri, actually gets to the point unlike Carol lol, first established Paulynn boi, friends turned lovers, just a little, mostly fluffy cute stuff, straight girl goes gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-04-05 06:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14038389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamesSunderlandsPillow/pseuds/JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: Lynn likes Paula, she really does. She’s a great teammate, and a cool person. But maybe she doesn’t realize just what Paula means when she says she ‘likes’ her too. (First established Paula/Lynn story, I do not own The Loud House.)





	1. First Date, p.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for checking what is the first Paula/Lynn (Paulynn;D) story. For those of you familiar with my work, know that I took a different approach with this story. Instead of being all artsy fartsy with my narrative text, I just get straight to the point and focused on dialogue. I wanted this to come across like an actual episode of the show, so that's why I did this.
> 
> Also, I reference both “Net Gains” and a couple other episodes in this story. If you haven't watched these episodes, I can't help you.
> 
> Please enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
>  

Ketcham Park, daylight.

Lynn Loud Jr. arrives at the basketball court with a ball tucked under her arm, and a white towel draped over her shoulder.

She looks around, and doesn't see any of her fellow Turkey Jerkies teammates.

She pulls out her phone, and checks to see that it's 3:45 on the money.

“Dang. Where is everybody?” she wonders aloud.

…

When she looks up from her phone screen, she hears the familiar sound of a crutch moving on and off the pavement.

Sure enough, it's Paula, and she's steadily making her way over with a smile on her face.

…

“Hey, Lynn,” she greets.

“Yo, Paula! How’s it going?” Lynn excitedly greets back, meeting her in the middle of the court.

“I'm okay. Armpit’s a little sore from the walking, but ‘no pain, no gain,’ right?” she says back.

“That's the spirit,” Lynn replies, spinning her ball in her hands.

…

“Where is everybody? I thought we all agreed on a quarter-til?” Lynn follows up.

Paula winces. “Well, I guess Amy forgot she had a dentist appointment, and Diane had to leave school early to tend to her cat?” she tells her.

“Her cat?” Lynn responds.

“Yeah. I guess it has worms…”

Lynn cringes. “Eww, gross!”

“Yeah, trust me, be glad I'm telling you and not her. She went into a lot more detail than I needed.”

“Uhm, okay, yeah, thanks,” Lynn responds. “And Maya?”

…

They both just look at one another.

“Sleeping,” they both say in unison.

…

They share a laugh at that, then smile at one another.

“Well, it's up to you, Paula. We can practice one-on-one, or just take a rain check,” Lynn suggests.

Paula sneers. “Rain check? So we can sit around and get rusty?...” She jokingly says. “I thought you had another ‘B’ in that ‘FLIBBR?”

Lynn smiles back. “Alright then… But don't think I'm gonna go easy on ya.”

She gets into position, and so does Paula.

“Why? Because of my leg? You should be more worried about how _short_ you are,” the taller girl wisecracks.

…

“Oh, it's on,” Lynn proclaims, and with that, they play ball.

\-----------------------

After their practice, the girls sit on a bench and cool off with some cold drinks.

“Phew,” Lynn sighs as she wipes sweat from her brow. “Good game, dude. I won't lie, you had me worried there for a minute that I might be getting slow.”

Paula smiles. “Shyeah, just wait until my leg’s all healed up. I'll be wiping the floor with you,” she jokes.

“Whatever,” Lynn simply says back, playfully nudging her.

And they share another laugh.

…

“For real, this was a lot of fun. Good practice too,” Lynn expresses.

“It really was,” Paula happily agrees.

…

“So, what are you gonna get into tonight?” Paula asks Lynn now as they stand up from the bench.

“Ehh, not sure yet. I’ve been meaning to clean out my side of the room, and I don't want my sister’s bat to get guano on anything-”

“Your sister has a bat?” Paula interrupts.

“Lucy, yeah. She's more into bats with fangs than baseball bats,” Lynn quips, earning a laugh from the other girl.

“Heh heh heh… That was cute,” she chuckles.

“My other sister must be running off on me. She likes to tell bad jokes,” Lynn explains.

“Just how many sisters do you have?” Paula asks, raising a brow.

“Nine. And a brother. Although, sometimes I wonder about him,” she jokes with a smile, earning another laugh from Paula, who blushes.

\-----------------------

Later on, they're walking home side by side.

“...So we had to go in what we we wearing, and I ended up having to go to the batting cage dressed up as Lisa!” Lynn says to finish her story, and Paula hardily laughs.

“Ha ha! Oh man! That's rich,” she comments.

“Yeah, that's _nowhere_ near as bad as what happened to Lincoln though,” Lynn adds.

…

Paula winces in pain as she keeps hobbling along on her crutch.

“Ugh, I can't wait to be off this stupid thing,” she curses.

“Are you alright?” Lynn sincerely asks, disregarding the rest of her story.

“I’m fine, trust me,” Paula insists with a little smile.

…

Lynn apprehensively glances at her before returning her eyes forward.

“Hey, don't take any offense; but why didn't you just wait until your leg heals to play? I mean, it's not like there won't be a season next year,” she inquires.

…

They briefly look to one another, then Paula responds.

“Well, I get what you mean. I just, I really love playing. I honestly got into sports because I'm tall, but, I love having fun and making friends. I didn't wanna miss out,” she explains.

“Yeah, I hear ya,” Lynn simply says. “I mean, well- you saw how much winning means to me; but at the end of the day, the best part of being on a team... is actually being part of the team,” she says with a warm smile.

…

Paula smiles back, but has to turn away when she finds herself blushing again.

…

They come to the end of Franklin Avenue, just a few houses away from Lynn’s house.

“Well, this is me,” Lynn says as they come to it. “Thanks again for a great game, Paula.”

…

“Hey, wait,” Paula tells her, her demeanor changing.

Lynn notices her anxiety, and changes herself.

…

Paula nervously rubs her arm, clearly steeling herself before saying what's on her mind.

“I want to ask you something, but I'm kind of afraid to…” she admits, not looking Lynn directly in the eyes.

…

“Hey, it's cool! You can ask me anything. What are teammates for?” Lynn assures her.

…

Paula timidly smiles another little smile before becoming nervous again.

“Okay, well…”

…

…

“Do you like me?” she asks, now looking directly into Lynn's eyes with obvious trepidation.

…

Lynn raises her brow, but then smiles again.

“Of course I do! I wouldn't be walking with you right now if I didn't!” Lynn responds.

…

Paula looks to her with disbelief.

“What? I mean- you do?”

…

“Heh heh, is it so hard to believe?” Lynn elaborates. “You're super nice, and a lot of fun to be around. And you're not just a really great teammate... You’re a great friend.”

…

Paula gets beat red as she sweetly smiles.

“Wow, Lynn… I… I don't know what to say…”

Lynn just laughs. “Heh heh! It's cool, dude. Really.”

…

Paula thinks to herself another moment, letting her eyes wander in all directions before setting them on Lynn again.

“Okay… Uhm, can I ask you another question?”

…

“Sure thing,” Lynn simply says with another smile.

…

“Well… Would you like to maybe go see a movie with me tomorrow night? I mean, if you don't want to or have plans or whatever, I don't mind… I just thought, well… _You know…”_ Paula asks her.

And Lynn just keeps smiling. “Hey, the sounds fun! I'd love to!”

“Okay, sweet!” Paula says with a wide smile back. “I guess I'll just text you tomorrow and we can go from there.”

…

“Alright. Sounds like a plan,” Lynn says, and she extends her hand for a shake.

But Paula doesn't take it.

…

...

In fact, after just a little hesitation, she leans in, and kisses Lynn on the cheek.

…

Paula just sweetly smiles after the kiss. “Bye! See you tomorrow!” she tells her as she makes her leave.

Lynn, on the other hand, just stands there all dumbfounded as she realizes what just happened, and just what Paula meant when she asked if she _likes_ her.

…

“Uh oh…” she utters as she rubs her cheek.

…

And she doesn't even realize Lola Loud watching on from her window.

\-----------------------

“Alright, Lola. I'm here,” Luna Loud says to her little sister as she enters the twins’ room.

She sees Lola with her face pressed against the window, and raises a brow. “Uh, dude?” she simply says to get her attention.

…

Lola turns back. “Huh?” she utters, before realizing what Luna’s here for. “Oh. Yay!” she says with a big grin as she paces over to her tea party table and takes a seat. Luna does the same, and even smiles herself as Lola begins pouring the pretend tea.

...

“So, you ready to get this tea party rockin’?” Luna asks as she pulls her guitar out from behind her with a big smile.

Lola frowns and places her hands to her hips, making it obvious she’s unimpressed.

So, Luna puts it away, and sulkingly deflates as she frowns too.

…

Lola smiles wide now. “Okay! So, _Miss Swagger…”_ she slyly says.

“Come on, dude. Really?” Luna bemoans.

“You come on! Just play along!” Lola argues.

“Fine… But why do I always have to be married to Mick? There are _other_ people I could pretend to be married to,” she alludes to with blush and a smile.

 _“Uhh!”_ Lola scoffs. “You _have_ to be married to Mick because that’s how I met John Stamos! It’s part of the game!... Isn’t that right, _Joooohn?”_ Lola says as she sweetly smiles to the John Stamos cut-out sat down at the tea party table.

…

“Oy…” Luna utters as she rubs the bridge of her nose.

…

Then, Lynn makes her way upstairs, still retaining the look of shock on her face from before. She makes her way into her room, and…

“Dang it, Fangs!” she yells, catching Luna and Lola by surprise.

...

“Woah, where’s the fire?” Luna remarks, standing up to go check on the commotion.

“Hey! Are we still playing?!” Lola whines.

“Yeah, just- hold on,” she answers, making her way to the door.

…

Lola gets up to follow her out, but stops midway to give her pretend cardboard husband a kiss on the cheek.

Luna watches this with a grimace on her face, and Lola rushes over to her wearing a smile.

…

“That was a little much, wasn’t it?” Luna snidely quips.

“What?! Lynn and her girlfriend do it!” Lola asserts.

To which Luna promptly becomes flabbergasted.

“What?!”

…

Lola points out the window. “Look!”

…

Luna does just that, and watches as Paula hobbles her way down Franklin Avenue.

…

Luna just stands there for a minute, and has to rub her eyes to make sure she’s actually seeing it.

“Okay, so the drama,” Luna comments, and she makes her way out to the hall. Lola dutifully follows her.

…

They make their way into Lynn and Lucy’s room, where they find the former standing with her face tucked in her shirt- because the room is covered in bat guano.

Fangs the bat flies his way out of the room, and the girls just watch on with all sorts of confusion.

Lynn turns to see her sisters, and meets them with indifference. “Uhh… You guys know where Lana is? I might need some help with this…”

…

“Uhh, Lynn, can we talk I talk to you for a minute?” Luna asks with a concerned expression.

“Can we go back to my room? It _stinks_ in here!” Lola cries.

…

Lynn follows Luna and Lola into the twins’ room, and cardboard John Stamos just sits there.

“Hey, Jesse,” Lynn quips. Lola scowls at her for that, then goes to sit at the table by “him.”

…

Lynn turns to face Luna. “What’s up?” she somberly asks.

Luna steels herself a bit as she rubs the back of her neck.

“Uhm… So… How’ve you been? Anything new in your life going on? Seeing someone special?...” she rambles on with a nervous smile.

“What?” Lynn simply rebuts with a confused expression.

…

“Oh, for crying out loud…” Lola interrupts. “Just ask her about her girlfriend already!”

“Girlfriend?! What are you talking about?!” Lynn retorts.

“The girl you kissed! I saw her!” Lola hollers.

“Dude! Shut up!” Lynn tells her with desperation in her voice, like she doesn't want anyone to hear Lola shouting that.

…

“Okay, time out…” Luna interjects. “Lola, you’ve got a booger hanging out of your nose,” she tells her.

“What?! EWW!” the tot cries, rushing over to her vanity.

…

“She didn’t have a booger hanging out of her-?... _Ohhhh…”_ Lynn says, picking up on Luna’s play.

…

The teens just look each other for a moment, Lynn wearing this timid gait, Luna wearing a look of concern.

“Okay, dude… What the heck is going on?” Luna asks.

…

Lynn dejectedly sighs. “Alright… I was at practice with my friend, Paula, and she’s the only one who showed up! We had a good game, talked a little bit, and she walked me home… Then… she kissed me on the cheek…”

Luna raises a brow. “She just kissed you? That’s kind of weird…”

“...Well, I mean, no… It’s not…” Lynn reasons. “See, she asked me if I like her, and I said yes! I just didn’t realize she meant, _you know… ‘like_ like’ _...”_

…

“Hey! I didn’t have a booger!...” Lola whines as she makes her way over.

The others disregard her petulance.

…

“Oh man… That’s pretty heavy…” Luna says.

...

“I don’t know what to do… I _do_ like her… Just… Ugh...” Lynn starts, but she doesn’t finish, instead just groaning as she buries her face in her hands.

“You just… don’t _like her_ like her?” Luna speculates.

…

Lynn uncovers her face, and dons the most distressed of faces. “Oh man!... I’m going to the movies with her tomorrow night!... How the heck am I supposed to do that after what just happened?!” she worries.

...

Luna places a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy, Lynn.”

“In English?” Lola barks.

Luna just ignores her to focus on her other sister. “Listen, if I were in Paula’s shoes… Or, cast, I guess…”

“No… We have enough _comedians_ in this house,” Lola interrupts again.

“Will you chill?!” Lynn hollers at her, to which she makes a mocking face at her.

…

“As I was saying… If I were Paula, I would want you to be honest with me. I think, maybe you should tell her how you really feel…” Luna says.

Lynn doesn’t say anything back, she just listens.

…

Luna smiles at her, and removes her had from her shoulder.

“So, bad news,” she tells Lynn now.

“No…” Lynn sullenly responds.

“Yeah… You’re gonna have you wait for Lana to help with the bat poop. She’s busy helping Luan clean _my_ room.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Gary had too much birthday cake…”

“Bluck…” Lynn and Lola both groan.

…

“Thanks, Luna. I guess I have a lot to think about before my date tomorrow night, heh heh,” she says somewhat jokingly.

Luna and Lola just smile at each other upon hearing this.

…

“Speaking of dates… We still have a tea party to attend _Miss Swagger…”_ Lola reminds Luna.

Luna winces at Lynn.

“You could always help me clean bat poop?” Lynn quips.

…

Luna shrugs.

“Neh, I’ll hang here with Jesse’s girl.”

\-----------------------

_The Next Night…_

…

Lynn arrives at the cinema, and makes her way into the theater to meet Paula. She looks all around the dark room, scanning for her until she finds where she is seated.

Paula looks up and sees her, and softly smiles as she waves to her.

Lynn gulps.

“Alright, I can do this,” she says to herself.

…

She makes her way over to Paula. To her visible surprise, she sees that she was able to get popcorn, candy, and drinks all by herself- even _with_ her handicap.

…

“Hey,” Paula sweetly says to her “date.”

“Hey, sorry I took a bit,” Lynn apologizes.

“It’s okay. I hope you don’t mind that I went ahead and got you this stuff… I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just took a guess…” Paula skittishly explains.

“It’s fine. Thanks,” Lynn simply responds as she forces a little smile.

…

She nervously rubs the back of her neck before speaking any further.

“So… Uhm… You got all this stuff by yourself? You didn’t have any help?”

…

Paula raises a brow. “Huh? Oh, yeah… Why wouldn’t I?” she says with a nervous little smile.

“Uhm, nothing! I didn’t mean anything by it! You’re fine- fine! Heh heh… Thanks again…” Lynn stammers.

…

 _“Come on, Lynn… Remember what Luna said. You’ve gotta say something to her!”_ Lynn thinks to herself.

…

She takes a deep breath, and prepares to speak her mind.

“Paula, I gotta tell you something…”

Paula again raises a brow, this time with a bit of a worried expression. “Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Well…” Lynn starts, but she’s interrupted by a couple squeezing their way through the aisle.

“Scuse us. Sorry,” one of them says as they make way.

…

Lynn sees the discomfort on Paula’s face, and grows concerned. “Are you alright?” she worriedly asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine… Uhm… What- what were you gonna tell me?”

…

“Oh, uhm… I was gonna say… Well, this isn’t easy. Uhm…” Lynn stammers some more, still rubbing the back of her neck. She stops, but accidentally knocks Paula’s drink down as she lowers her hand, spilling it all over the floor.

“Shoot!” she curses.

…

She looks to Paula, who winces.

“I’m sorry! Did I get any on you? What about your cast?” she neurotically asks as she stands to check on the damage.

...

“I’m fine, it’s not a big deal,” Paula tells her, not getting excited.

“Are you sure?... Oh… Dang it. Here, let me go get you another one…”

“Lynn…”

“Just wait here, and I’ll just be a sec!”

“Lynn!” Paula repeats, _now_ getting a little excited.

…

Lynn just looks to her with a fretful expression, but Paula just sighs.

...

“Lynn, will you please stop worrying about my leg? I know you mean well, but please… I’m okay. I just want to enjoy tonight, okay?”

Lynn just guiltily looks at her before letting her eyes meet the floor. But Paula stands herself up with her crutch, and places her free hand on her shoulder.

“Why don’t you help me get some towels to clean this up, and you can buy me another drink?” she says with a smile.

…

Lynn looks back to her, and softly smiles back. “Alright. Sorry to be a spaz.”

...

Paula says nothing more, she just smiles as she begins hobbling her way through the aisle, much to the chagrin of everyone else this inconveniences.

“Sorry, sorry, excuse us, sorry…” her and Lynn both keep saying as they make their way out.

\-----------------------

They get out into the hall.

“I’m gonna go get some paper towels out of the bathroom. Why don’t you go pick yourself out something?” Lynn tells Paula, extending a five dollar bill out to her.

Paula reaches out, but uses her hand to close Lynn’s fist.

 _“I’ll_ go get the towels… _You_ go pick me out something,” she insists.

…

Lynn meets her with a dumb look. “Well… I don’t know what you like?”

Paula just grins. “Take a guess,” she says with a wink.

…

With that, she turns and makes her way to the restroom.

Lynn just stands there for a moment, stunned. But she shakes it off, and heads the other way for the concessions stand.

…

“Man… I have got to chill out! Paula was right… We’re supposed to be having _fun_ tonight!...” Lynn thinks aloud.

“Wait a minute… No! I need to tell her that this isn’t a date! I don’t like her like that!...”

“At least… I don’t think I do?...”

…

She visualizes her smiling, freckled face. She remembers the way she was able to play so well at the championship game, or on the court yesterday morning- all with one good leg.

And then there was the kiss on the cheek…

...

“Huh…” she thoughtfully utters as she enters the lobby.

…

She makes her way to the stand, and is met by a slouching short gentleman with bushy red hair and glasses.

“May I help you?” he says with typical clerk enthusiasm.

“Just a cherry soda, please,” Lynn requests.

…

The guy prepares the beverage… Very slowly...

…

Lynn grows impatient. “Hurry up, man! I gotta get back to my date!... I mean, it’s not a date, or, _well…”_

“Whatever… Please don’t try to tell me about your life. I really don’t care…” ginger tells her as he finishes up, and he hands the drink over.

She just frowns as she accepts it.

…

She makes her way back to the hall, and hears some snide laughter.

She perks up, and picks up the pace until she sees Paula and two skeevy girls standing together.

The two girls are laughing, but Paula is sourly frowning.

…

“Really, Paula? You expect us to believe you’re actually on a date?” one of the girls sharply states.

“Yeah, who would be stupid enough to go on a date with _you?”_ the other adds.

“Maybe he’s blind,” the first continues, and then they share a snarky laugh.

...

“I don’t really care if you believe me or not. Why don’t you guys just leave me alone?” Paula retorts with a scowl.

…

“Oh, _come on…_ We wanna see your date!” Skeevy girl one says.

“Yeah… Where is your little boyfwiend?” Skeevy girls two adds.

…

“My date is actually a _girl…_ Not that it’s any of your business,” Paula defiantly tells them, holding her chin high.

…

The other girls get wide-eyed, then just laugh at her.

“Figures! I always knew you were a freak!” Skeevy girl two insults.

“Oh man!... I can only imagine what kind of weirdo would go on a date with you! She’s probably an even bigger loser then you are!” Skeevy girl one adds.

…

Paula tries to stay strong, but their words are starting to hurt, and she lets it show as she lets her head hang low.

And Lynn isn’t going to stand by and watch anymore.

…

She puffs her chest, and proudly makes her way over to Paula to join her side.

“Hey _Paula…_ Are these two _skunkbags_ giving you a hard time?” she brazenly says.

…

The other girls frown. “Who are you calling skunkbags, shrimp?” the one rebuts.

“Hey! I’m average height!” Lynn argues.

…

The two girls just look to one another with indifference before returning their attention to the other girls.

“Wow, Paula. Robbing the cradle much?”

“Yeah, what is she, ten?”

The two skeevy girls laugh at their witticisms.

…

Lynn growls, and rolls one of her sleeves up.

“If you two are looking for a fight-”

…

The skeevy girls place their hands to their hips and clench their fists, gritting their teeth back.

“Oh yeah? What are _you_ gonna do, shorty?”

...

Paula sticks her free arm out in front of Lynn, and meets her with a look of restraint. Lynn just looks back with a conflicted expression.

…

Paula surly looks to the girls.

“Actually, we’re gonna go back to watching our movie. We get that you guys are insecure and have nothing better to do than bother other people, but we don’t need that negativity in our lives.”

Lynn dubiously looks at Paula, then anxiously waits for the girls’ response.

…

They keep gritting their teeth, but eventually ease up. “Whatever… You losers aren’t worth it,” one of them comments as they turn around.

“Yeah, have fun on your date, _weirdos!”_

…

Lynn looks to Paula, who sadly hangs her head once more.

…

She frowns too, but then smiles.

“Don’t worry… We will!” Lynn proudly shouts to the girls.

…

…

The other girls glance back, but wave them off and keep going until they’re out of sight and out of mind.

Then, Lynn looks back to Paula, and Paula looks back to her.

They both smile.

…

“I uh… I got your soda… I hope you like cherry,” Lynn says, her cheeks reddening a little.

“Heh heh… It’s my favorite,” Paula says, accepting the drink. She blushes too.

\-----------------------

The girls have returned to their seats in the theater. They sit there quietly as they wait for their feature to begin, sort of glancing at one another here and there.

The awkward silence gets to Lynn, though, and she decides to do something about it.

“Are you okay? I mean, about what happened back there with those skeevy chicks?” she asks.

Paula just shrugs with a smile on her face. “It bothered me at first, but I can handle it… Besides… I’m not nearly as worried about what they think of me as… Well, _some people…”_

…

The way Paula smiles at her… Lynn can’t help but smile back.

But… Then she remembers what she has to do.

…

…

“Paula… I- I have to tell you something…”

…

Even with the trepidation on Lynn’s part, Paula keeps smiling.

“Sure, Lynn. Anything for you.”

…

…

Lynn realizes with this statement, that, she's probably telling the truth. Paula has gone out of her way to make tonight, and the day before, as meaningful as possible. She's that kind of person: the kind that stays true to the people she cares about, even when faced with the opposition of a broken leg and skeevy girls.

Heck, she was actually brave enough to steal that kiss.

…

…

“Do you… like me? Like, _like like_ me?” Lynn asks her.

…

And Paula just smiles.

“Well, I would think that was obvious,” she says. “I mean, you’re smart, fun, an awesome teammate… And… You’re really pretty…”

…

Lynn can’t help but smile back, and blush.

“Wow…” she simply says.

…

…

Then, very carefully, Paula takes her hand, slides it into Lynn’s, and interlocks her fingers.

Lynn just watches, practically frozen.

…

But it’s a _good_ frozen. Her heart is fluttering, her nerves are tingling…

And she can’t stop smiling.

…

She looks back into Paula’s eyes, and she hasn’t stopped smiling either.

…

…

Without looking away, without moving her hand, Lynn simply tells her with the same smile…

“Okay.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks again for checking this out. Comments/reviews are appreciated by the way;)
> 
> ...
> 
> Now, I know what you’re thinking: am I really shipping another Loud sister with a girl character? Yup. I is. After I saw “Net Gains,” the cringey Yuri writer in me was compelled to get to work on this bad boy, and well, here we are. Hopefully I can make some waves with this pairing, or at the very least, that you enjoyed this story.
> 
> The John Stamos thing may seem random, but it was actually a parallel to my real life. My ten year old sister loves Full House (and John Stamos lol), and we play tea party. Tough guys play tea party.
> 
> Gotta throw a shout out to my boy Heitomos. He beta reads my stuff, and he’s just an all around baller. His suggestions are invaluable.
> 
> I also wanna give love to everyone who made suggestions for this story. I tried to work them all in to a certain degree, and know that I love you guys:)
> 
> …
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for reading, and please stay tuned for more Pillowy goodness:)


	2. First Date, p.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? He made a chapter two? No way!:D
> 
> Yup. All the feedback from you lovely people inspired me to come back to this pairing, and hopefully you’ll enjoy this:)
> 
> So, let’s get to it!

 

“Okay.”

…

Okay can mean _so_ many things, and Lynn has said it countless times over her thirteen years. There was the time it meant, “Okay, I didn’t expect them to make a sequel to that crap fest, but okay.”

Or the time it meant, “Okay, fine. _Don’t_ wash your hands after reaching into the toilet.”

Once it even meant, “Okay, go ahead and hang out with Tanya. You'll just be dead to me. That's all.”

…

But here, sitting beside Paula, holding her hand and feeling this warmth coming over her…

Okay means, “Sure… Why not?”

…

After the movie, Lynn and Paula release hands, and nervously smile at one another through blushes. Lynn stands out of her seat, and Paula eases her way out with the support of her crutch.

They follow the crowd out into the aisle, and then into the lobby.

“That was…” Paula begins with apprehension.

“The stupidest movie you’ve ever seen?” Lynn finishes with a playful grin.

Paula giggles into her hand. “Yeah, it was horrible.”

“Yeah… I mean, I could get past the squirrel suit, but the part where they kicked him out of the house?” Lynn comments before thoughtfully rubbing her chin. “Hmm… Why do I get the strange sense of deja vu?”

Paula giggles again. “If _that_ gives you deja vu…”

…

The two girls just smile at one another for a moment before it becomes a little embarrassing, and they nervously blush as they look away and each rub the back of their necks.

“So…” they utter at the same time.

…

“Did you have fun?” Paula asks, looking back to Lynn.

“Yeah, I did,” Lynn answers.

…

They smile at each other for a little while longer, and then, Paula extends her hand out, inviting Lynn to take it like she did in the theater.

She looks at Paula’s hand, and can’t help but become flustered. She tries not to make it obvious as she looks all around at the other patrons, wondering if anyone can see them, wondering if any of them know her.

The skeevy girls from before don’t matter. They matter as much as Leni’s SAT scores.

But what about Margo? Or Polly? Or _Francisco?_

…

She’s all but biting her bottom lip off, and Paula detects her now obvious despondence.

“Is something wrong?” she asks.

…

Lynn snaps out of it. “Uhm… No… I just- heh… My hands are kind of sweaty,” she fibs.

“Oh, okay Diane,” Paula quips with a wince. “Well, we still have a little time to kill before my mom comes to pick me up. Wanna just hang out in the food court or something?”

“Yeah, that’s cool,” Lynn answers, and they make their way out.

…

Paula looks to Lynn once more, and smiles another little smile.

Lynn forces a smile of her own.

_“Okay… Maybe I’ve still got some things to think about…”_

\-----------------------

Out in the food court of the mall, Paula slurps on another cherry soda, and Lynn just sort of stares at the Dr. Gregger she’s only take a few sips from. She rests her head in her hand as she leans on the table, looking around at all the patrons again. She doesn’t see anyone she knows, but she still feels… exposed. _Guilty_ almost.

She lets out a dejected sigh without even realizing it.

…

Paula notices this, and stops fat facing her drink. “Okay, what’s up?” she bluntly asks.

“Huh? Nothing,” Lynn responds. Unfortunately, she won’t be winning any Oscars with her performance.

“You just seem a little… I don’t know… Like maybe something’s wrong,” Paula sorrowfully says as she rubs her arm.

…

“No… It’s not- nothing’s wrong. I mean- it’s not you. It’s not…” Lynn stammers, but the way her “date” looks back to her with those puppy eyes…

She decides to do what she meant to before, and just tell her how she feels.

…

“Okay… Paula…” she begins, resting her hand on top of hers before realizing that it might not be very appropriate considering what she’s about to say. So she removes it.

“Paula, I have to be totally honest with you…”

…

Paula _already_ deflates, as if she knows where this is headed.

But, Lynn decides she still has to do this. She just has to.

…

“When you asked me- _you know,_ if I ‘liked’ you, I didn’t really realize what you meant at the time…”

“Oh…” Paula sadly utters as she hangs her head low.

“Let me finish,” Lynn asserts, and Paula raises her head to meet Lynn’s eyes again. “The thing is… I guess I’ve never really considered if I’m… Well… If I like girls that way… I mean, I didn’t even know _you_ liked girls.”

…

Paula sighs. “That’s… fair enough. I guess I did come on to you a little strongly…”

“I don’t think that’s quite it,” Lynn rebuts. “I’m not trying to make it out to be like this is your fault, or that there’s any fault at all really!”

…

Paula raises her brow at this. “Okay… So, what are you saying?”

…

Lynn takes a moment to collect her thoughts.

“What I’m saying is… I _did_ have fun tonight. And, I _do_ like you…”

…

“You just don’t _like me_ like me…” Paula bemoans.

…

…

Lynn looks into her eyes, and feels her heart racing faster than it does after she’s downed two spicy subs.

“I… I honestly don’t know…”

…

She takes a breath to compose herself again, and continues.

“I mean, the way you told those chicks off… And the way you’re so head on about stuff…” She finds herself smiling again. “Not to mention… You _are_ pretty…”

…

Paula’s eyes widen, and she blushes as she softly smiles.

“Oh!... Uhm, wow… Thanks…”

…

With a little hesitation, Lynn decides to go ahead and rest her hand on Paula’s again, and she makes a point to look her in the eye as she says what she needs to say.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, I think I’d like to just take things slow. I just need more time to think about this… _Us..._ ”

…

Paula sighs again as she focuses on Lynn’s hand resting on top of hers.

Then, she softly smiles again.

“Well… Okay. I get what you mean,” she says as she meets Lynn’s eyes once more. “If you want to take things slow, that’s perfectly fine.”

Lynn smiles back. “Thanks.”

…

While their moment of intimacy is nice for a little while, it eventually becomes awkward, and both girls move their hands away to nervously chuckle to themselves.

…

“So… I guess I have a question for you now…” Paula begins again.

“Okay,” Lynn simply responds.

“Well… Tomorrow- assuming the others show up for practice… Should I just not say anything about tonight?”

…

Lynn takes a moment to consider this.

“Well… I mean… If it comes up, we just tell them the truth…”

...

Paula just looks to her with an expression of uncertainty, essentially begging her to elaborate.

“We’ll tell them that we were just, you know… hanging out,” Lynn says with an almost sickly wince.

…

Paula winces too, but then curves her lips into a _sort of_ smile. “Alright… I just wanted to be sure.”

…

Lynn smiles back, but slowly begins to realize that, _maybe_ this isn’t what Paula wanted to hear.

Before she can address it though, Paula is pulling out her phone.

“It’s my mom. She’s here to pick me up,” she explains as she sluggishly eases her way out of her chair.

…

Almost panickingly, Lynn makes her way out of her chair too.

“Uhm, so, this was fun, right?” she almost thoughtlessly blurts out.

“Huh? Oh, definitely,” Paula stoically answers.

…

“So… We should hang out again?” Lynn follows up, trying to smile in a way that doesn’t look forced and awkward… failing.

Paula just weakly smiles back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lynn…”

…

And with that, Paula is making her way out of the food court and to the exit.

Once she’s out of sight, Lynn just finds herself standing there in a bit of a daze.

 _“Alright… Things were going good, and now she’s bummed out. What did I do wrong?”_ Lynn wonders. _“Oh man…”_

…

She sighs, and pulls out her phone to check the time. It’s nearing 9:50, meaning the mall will be closing soon.

_“Dang, I better make sure someone’s picking me up…”_

…

She’s just about to call her mother…

_BUZZZZZZZZZZ BUZZZZZZZZZZ_

An incoming call from Luna.

…

She raises her brow, and answers the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey Lynn, you still with Paula?” she asks, getting right to the point.

“Uhm, no… She just left,” Lynn answers.

“Alright, well I’m almost there. Be out front in five,” Luna practically orders, and then she hangs up.

“O-kay?” Lynn voices aloud.

…

_“Well, I guess I can maybe ask her about Paula… I mean, she already knows about what happened earlier…”_

_“Wait a second… Luna doesn’t drive?”_

\-----------------------

Lynn does as Luna instructed, making her way out to the front of the mall. She looks around, but doesn’t see any sign of her.

She pulls out her phone, and it reads 9:55.

_“She said be out in five…”_

…

Just as she puts it away, a familiar, sleek black BMW pulls up just ahead of her.

The driver’s side window rolls down, revealing none other than Carol Pingrey.

“Get in loser, we’re going shopping,” she greets with her air of familiar haughtiness.

…

Lynn just raises her brow at this statement.

Carol looks to her with the same arrogant sneer, but can’t help but break as she giddily smiles. “I’ve always wanted to say that!” she exclaims with Leni-like enthusiasm.

…

From the passenger’s seat, Luna leans forward to look out the window at her younger sister. “Are you gonna get in, dude?” she asks with a grin.

…

Lynn just shrugs, and makes her way into the backseat of the car.

“Sup guys,” she greets.

Luna and Carol say nothing. They just smile to one another before Carol puts the car in gear and begins driving.

They’re quiet for a moment, and Lynn feels herself becoming a little unnerved. “Uhm… So why’d you guys pick me up? You coming back to the house, C?” she asks.

…

Again, the older girls just smile to one another.

Carol glances back at Lynn through the rearview mirror.

“So _Lynn…_ Wanna tell me about your _date?”_

…

Once it registers just what Carol has asked, Lynn frowns. “Luna! You told her?” she whines.

“Ahh, chillax dude… She’s my girlfriend. You didn’t honestly think I _wasn’t_ gonna tell her, did you?” Luna coolly states with her usual drawl.

…

Lynn pouts for a moment, but decides to just accept it as she slouches back in her seat with a groan-sigh.

“Okay, fine… But you better not have told anyone else! It’s bad enough Lola knows…”

...

“Don’t worry about Lola,” Carol asserts. “I figured out what to do about her.”

“Yeah, Carol does some judging for the local pageants. She’ll play ball,” Luna adds. She then starts snickering to herself. “Play ball… Heh heh… That’s funny… Like, cuz Lynn likes sports?”

Carol rolls her eyes. “Eww. You sound like Luan.”

...

Luna playfully gawks at her. “Ahh come on… You know you like it when I tell stupid jokes… It’s pretty much what made you hot for me in the first place,” she flirts.

“Uhm, first of all, I like it when you tell _good_ jokes, not _stupid_ jokes. And second of all, I’m pretty sure you were hot for me before I was ever hot for you,” Carol retorts.

“Oh yeah?” Luna alluringly replies with a big flirty smile.

“Yeah,” Carol says with a big flirty smile of her own.

…

“Uhm, guys… Still back here…” Lynn reminds them.

“Oh, right, heh heh,” Luna says with an embarrassed little chuckle.

...

“Okay, so tell us what all happened with Paula. Did you let her down easy, or what? Does she hate you now? Are you switching teams?” Carol bluntly asks.

“Carol!” Luna scolds.

“What? I’m just asking…” she defends. “Oh! And don’t tell me anything about the movie! We’re totes gonna go see it this weekend,” she adds.

“I told you I wanted to see Eternity War,” Luna rebuts.

...

Carol glowers at her. “You know how I feel about superhero movies. I am _not_ going to sit through two and a half hours of that crud just so you can stare at girls in tight spandex…”

“Hey… The guys look good too,” Luna shamelessly says in return.

…

Lynn facepalms. “What is even happening right now?”

…

Then she sighs. The other two realize this, and seize their tomfoolery.

“Hey, for real Lynn… Are you okay? Is every little thing gonna be alright?” Luna asks.

…

Lynn wears her heart on her sleeve as she somberly looks out the window. While she’d love to talk about Paula with someone, she realizes now just how drained she is.

“I’d kind of like to just forget about it right now, honestly…”

…

Luna and Carol frown to one another before focusing on the window and windshield respectively.

It takes her a minute, but, with a little hesitation, Luna carefully reaches out to the radio dial… And…

Carol smacks her hand.

“Ow!...” Luna cries before shooting her girlfriend a glare.

…

Carol just glares back, and the rest of the ride home is spent in silence.

\-----------------------

Later that night, Lynn is resting in a fetal position on the couch, because her room is still a guano ridden biohazard.

The television is quietly set on Dream Boat reruns from its 2008 season, back when everyone felt like they needed a soul patch.

…

Again, she sighs at the thought of how things ended earlier with Paula.

…

Her reverie is disturbed by a beam of refrigerator light from the kitchen, and some indistinct groaning.

Deciding that she's curious to see who else is awake at 4:00 in the morning, (and that there's always time to take in some extra carbs), she makes her way to the kitchen. From the entryway, she discovers Leni filching some of her favorite leftover “mine-strone” from the fridge.

…

Once she's gotten her midnight snack, the resident sweetheart shuts the door and turns to find her younger sister looking at her with an almost zombie-like demeanor.

“Lynn?” is all she says.

...

“Hey Len. What’re you doing up?” she asks after yawning.

“Oh. I was just thinking about things… Like, physiological stuff about how the world works, you know?” Leni answers.

“Really? Didn't think you for the type,” Lynn follows.

“Oh yeah… I'm always thinking about stuff. Like, what if we were all _bunnies_ instead of people?” Leni expresses with complete seriousness.

…

“Yeah, okay…” Lynn rebuts, her faint glimmer of hope for Leni burning out.

…

“So what are you doing awake? Wait! Am I dreaming? Ooo! I know!” Leni thinks aloud as she reaches out to pinch Lynn with her free hand.

“Ow! What gives?!” she cries.

“Sorry! I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming!” Leni rationalizes.

“You're supposed to pinch yourself!” Lynn retorts.

…

Leni thinks it over. “That doesn't make much sense,” she says with a shrug.

…

Lynn could facepalm, but she doesn't have the energy to. Instead, she just makes her way back into the living room to return to the sanctuary of her couch.

Once her tushy meets the cushion, she looks skyward as she prepares to lose herself in some more regret.

Leni thoughtfully looks to her sister. Rather than simply heading back upstairs with her cold minestrone, she decides to join Lynn on the couch.

“Is something wrong? Are you getting cramps?” she asks as sweetly as possible.

“What? No,” Lynn tartly responds.

“Oh… That's what Mom tells me when she makes that face,” Leni explains.

…

Both girls look to the TV, then Leni returns her attention to Lynn.

“I can tell something’s wrong though. Do you want to talk about it?”

…

Lynn considers her words for a moment, but shakes her head.

“No, I don't think you’d understand.”

“Why does everyone always say that?” Leni wonders, saying it more for herself than Lynn. She disregards it though, and again returns her focus to the other Loud girl. “Well, maybe not. But it can't hurt to try,” she adds with an endearing little smile.

…

Lynn sighs. Of all the opponents she’s competed against, of all the obstacles she's overcome- Leni’s compassionate nature is the one thing she can't get the better of.

“Alright… Well, I'll tell you. But this stays between us, okay?”

…

Leni just smiles again. “Pinky swear,” she proudly states before sticking her thumb up. “Dang it. I always do that,” she curses as she corrects her error.

…

Lynn just softly smiles, but lets it wane as she gets serious.

“Okay… Well… I went to the movies tonight with a friend,” she begins.

“Ooo! What'd you see? Syngen- syngenes-” she keeps trying to pronounce.

“No. I'm _not_ watching that one,” Lynn states with a rigid frown.

…

“Okay… So you saw a movie with your friend. What happened?” Leni inquires.

Lynn steels herself over how she’ll respond, but thinks of a way to save face.

“Well… My friend Paulauhhh… _Paul…_ She- _He…_ is someone I’ve been talking to a lot lately,” she stammers.

Leni smiles a little smile. “Ahh… So, he’s a _special_ friend?” Leni asks.

…

Lynn winces. “Well… It’s complicated,” she responds. “I guess I should start from the beginning…”

“Wait, this won’t spoil anything about the movie will it? You know how much I hate spoilers,” Leni states.

Lynn just rolls her eyes at the many forms of irony regarding this statement. “No.”

…

She regains composure, and proceeds with her story.

“Okay, so, me and _Paul_ were walking home from a game earlier today. _He_ asked me if I liked him. And, well, I said yes…”

Leni smiles a little. “Aww… Lynn,” she simply says.

“Yeah, well, I guess I didn’t realize what he meant at the time. I thought he was just talking about- you know, being friends or whatever…”

…

Leni sneers. “Really? I mean, when a guy asks if they like you, it’s pretty obv he means _like_ like.”

Lynn facepalms. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.”

…

Leni eases up on the sneering, and Lynn eases up on the facepalming.

“Well, it wasn’t ‘obv’ to me. At least, not until he kissed me on the cheek,” she reveals, visualizing the very moment Paula stole that kiss.

“But that’s adorbs! Why is that a bad thing?” Leni asks.

…

Lynn wants to say something along the lines of, _“Because he’s a she,”_ but does her best to contain herself.

Instead, she tells her, “Just wait…”

…

She takes another moment, then continues.

“So, before she- _he_ kissed me… on the cheek _…_ He asked me to go to the movies with him. I said yes, but then he kissed me, and- I don’t know. I didn’t wanna be rude or mean or anything, so I just decided to think about it at home… Well, I decided to go ahead and go to the movie with him, just to tell him how I really feel…”

“And how _do_ you really feel?” Leni asks.

...

Lynn sighs. “I… I really don’t know… I mean, I think he’s a really nice girl- _guy!”_

...

Leni raises her brow. “I think you need to get some sleep. You keep messing up your adjectives. Or- is it adverbs?”

“...Uhm, pronouns… But whatever,” Lynn says, smoothly moving right along. “He’s a really nice person, and, honestly, I had a really great time with him tonight…”

…

“So, what’s the matter?” Leni asks, almost cautiously.

…

Lynn thinks it over for a moment.

“The problem is, I’m scared of what will happen if we decide to be _more_ than friends,” she confesses. “First of all, there’s the fact we’re teammates, and if something would happen, it would be weird to play together. Not to mention what it would do to our friendship…”

She crestfallenly slouches back in her seat.

“That’s not even the worst part… Honestly, I’m scared of what everyone else will think. I’m scared that I’ll lose friends, and that people will think I don’t like boys… _Other boys,_ I mean. Like, if something would happen, you know?”

Leni simply nods, conveying that she both cares and understands.

…

Lynn shuts her eyes, feeling the anguish that comes with her next thought.

“But you know what I’m the most afraid of? I’m afraid of how you guys would react… You guys would all think of me a lot differently.”

…

Leni becomes bewildered. “Wait. You mean- us? Like, our family?”

...

Lynn just meets her with a sorrowful look of affirmation.

…

“Lynn, listen. No matter what happens, we’ll all be here for you. _I’ll_ be here for you,” Leni proclaims. “I’m not so sure why you’re worried about this guy, but, you did say you guys had a great time tonight, right?”

Lynn thinks it over. “Yeah?”

“Well… Maybe that’s all that matters,” Leni asserts with a little shrug.

…

They let the words linger in the air for a little while before Leni speaks up again.

“When I started talking to Chaz, some of my friends said some nasty things about him… They said he wasn’t good enough for me. But you know what? I told them I didn’t care. What matters is that... he makes me feel happy. He makes me feel good about who I am…”

Lynn just attentively listens, really considering all of her older sister’s words.

Leni smiles at her. “I think you shouldn’t worry about what other people think. Your real friends will support your decisions no matter what.”

…

After a moment to let her words sink in, Lynn smiles back. “Wow… That’s… pretty good advice Leni. Thanks…”

“You’re welcome. I read it off a fortune cookie last time I was at Giovanni Chang’s,” the other girl proudly states.

…

…

Lynn just keeps smiling, but it wanes as she remembers her other problem.

“I think I may have hurt his feelings…”

…

“Chaz? I didn’t know you guys talk to each other?” Leni responds.

“No, not Chaz… Paula- er, _Paul…”_

“Ohhh…” Leni utters in a way that's become all too familiar to her siblings. “Well, what makes you say that? Did you forget to share your popcorn again?”

…

Lynn ignores the subtle jab at her healthy appetite, choosing to focus on the important matters.

“Well… I told him I wanted to take things slow. Just to see how I felt about all this, right?”

Leni just nods.

“But then he asked me about our teammates,” Lynn continues. “He was like, ‘what do I tell them about us?’ And…”

…

Light bulb. Epiphany.

“Oh…” Lynn utters, realizing now just what made Paula so distraught.

…

Leni raises her brow. “What?” she asks.

…

“I think… I think when I told her it wasn't a big deal, I made it into a big deal. I need to to talk to her about it tomorrow at practice… Make things right,” Lynn excitedly thinks aloud.

…

Leni just meets her with more confusion. “Who are you talking about?”

To which Lynn returns the feeling. “Huh? I’m talking about- _Paul…_ ” she responds once she realizes her oopsie, playing it cool.

“Oh. It's just- you said ‘her.’ You've been doing that a lot… Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything else that’s bothering you?” Leni concerningly asks.

…

Lynn practically freezes. Leni, simply by just being Leni, has made it very fortuitous to maybe experiment with certain conversations that would need to happen in the future regarding a certain someone. Conversations that could be very difficult considering the invulnerable image Lynn’s built for herself over the years, an image that only Leni is allowed to pervade every so often.

But she simply can't say anything. She literally can't help but dumbly look to Leni, her tired eyes just fixed on her with these feelings of confusion and angst now evident in them.

…

But Leni- sweet, lovable Leni… she just smiles that same endearing smile as before.

“I really think you should get some sleepies. You’ll figure things out with your friend tomorrow. I know you will.”

…

Belatedly, Lynn softly smiles back.

…

...

Without another word, Leni gets up from the couch with her minestrone in hand, and makes her way to the-

“Ah!” she hollers as she clumsily trips, spilling her leftovers all over the carpet. Lynn just painfully winces as she watches on

…

Leni raises her head off the floor, looking down to the mess she's made.

…

“Dang it… My mine-strone…”

\-----------------------

_The next day…_

Ketcham Park, Daylight.

Lynn Loud Jr. arrives at the basketball court with a ball tucked under her arm, and a white towel draped over her shoulder.

She makes her way over to the nearest pavillion, setting her things down by what would appear to be Paula’s belongings.

_“I guess it’s just the two of us again… This won’t be awkward at all…”_

…

At the half-court line, Paula is preparing herself for a shot, using both hands but still supporting herself with her crutch.

She takes a moment to measure her shot, and takes it. It’s perfect… almost.

“Dang it,” the taller girl curses as the ball glides around the rim of the hoop, only to fall to the side and onto the pavement below.

…

Lynn nervously rubs the back of her neck. “Here we go,” she utters to herself as she walks over to her.

“Hey Paula,” she says aloud now, and Paula turns to face her.

“Hi,” she indifferently says back before hobbling her way over to recollect the ball.

…

Lynn just nervously stands in her spot for a moment, trying to swallow down this lump in her throat.

“So… Where’s Amy? Her mom making her do other stuff?” she asks now.

Paula just barely glances back to her. “Huh? Oh… Probably. I’m not sure…”

…

“What about Diane? Her cat still dealing with worms?” Lynn asks now.

“I think so,” Paula simply says, not even glancing back this time as she gets to the ball and picks it up.

…

“And Maya?” Lynn asks regarding their final teammate.

Paula doesn’t even say anything to that. She just turns and face Lynn with a look of apathy.

In response, Lynn nervously, awkwardly smiles. “Right…”

…

Paula turns away again, and heads back to the half-court line to take another shot.

…

_“Alright… You can do this Lynn… Just say what you need to say…”_

“Paula… I have something to say,” she begins, and Paula turns back to face her once more.

“...I’m sorry about last night,” Lynn apologizes.

...

“For what?” Paula stoically responds with a raise of her brow.

…

“I’m sorry for… for what I said when you asked me about the others; about what to say to them about us…”

…

“Oh,” is all Paula says in response, somewhat remorsefully.

…

“Yeah…” Lynn says as she nervously rubs her neck again. “That wasn’t cool. I mean, I just- I don’t want you to think that I don’t like you… Because, the more I think about it, the more I realize…”

She stops, visibly becoming frustrated.

“The thing is… I just don’t know how to say this all without seeming like I don’t care about you. Because I do. I just- this is all so new to me, and I always thought about boys, and you’re the first girl to ever act this way to me... Actually, you’re maybe the first _person_ to be this way… At least, the first to make it feel _real,_ you know?”

…

Paula just retains her conflicted expression as Lynn struggles to go on.

“I don’t want you to think that’s like, the only reason I like you either though. Because it’s not! I mean, I think you’re awesome! I just- I still mean what I said last night, like, how I wanna figure things out, but, at the same time-”

“Lynn,” Paula finally says, cutting her off.

And Lynn Loud clams up, animatedly puckering her lips and widening her eyes.

…

“You know what I want?” Paula asks.

Lynn just meets her with the same peculiar look.

…

...

“I want to play basketball with a really cool girl,” Paula finishes with a soft little smile.

And Lynn eases into a little smile of her own.

…

“...But since I can’t find one, I guess I’ll just play with you,” Paula jokes, passing Lynn the ball.

She catches it, and just looks down to it as she feels the texture of it against her palms.

“Paula…”

…

She looks up to her now, and they just share the same warm smiles for a moment.

“...You know I have to annihilate you now, right?” she finishes.

...

“Bring it on, shorty,” Paula ripostes, and with that, they get to business.

…

Lynn dribbles the ball, strategizing her next move as she challengingly fixes her eyes on her opponent.

Paula doesn’t bat an eye though. She’s making a point to show that she won’t be intimidated; that she’s ready for whatever Lynn can throw at her.

…

Or, that’s what she thinks anyway.

…

Lynn makes her move, swiftly maneuvering to Paula’s right side- her _crutch_ side. Paula side steps in an attempt to halt her momentum, and Lynn tries to get around with a side step of her own. They repeat this a couple times, and during the stalemate, Lynn tries changing it up with an abrupt step to the left. Paula suddenly hops in her way though, and they collide into one another.

“Woah!” the blonde cries, and she falls to her butt.

Lynn blunders too, her tuckus also meeting the pavement. “Ouch!”

...

She rubs her tender backside, and recovers to sit up. When she does, she sees that Paula has somehow snapped her crutch in two.

“Shoot! I’m sorry dude!” she cries as she jolts up to her feet.

“Dang. My mom’s gonna kill me,” Paula bemoans through the discomfort as she realizes what’s happened.

…

“Are you okay?” Lynn asks now as she comes to her side.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Good hustle,” Paula says with a little grin. “It’s gonna be hard for me to play without my crutch though,” she somewhat jokingly says as she tries to get to her feet. “Ah, ah,” she moans in pain, this endeavor proving to be defective.

“Easy. Just relax,” Lynn tells her, gently helping her meet the canvas again. Then, she positions herself under Paula’s arm, and helps her stand.

…

“Dang, you weren’t kidding. You really annihilated me,” Paula quips.

“I’m so sorry,” Lynn apologizes again.

“It’s fine, dude. Just… help me over to the pavilion so I can get my phone. I gotta have my mom bring me a new crutch,” Paula instructs.

“Okay…” Lynn says with a discriminating blend of relief, guilt, and amusement in her voice.  
…

Together, holding onto one another, they make their way off the court and into the grass.

“Uhm… You know what I just realized,” Lynn begins.

“What?” Paula responds.

“We use the same deodorant, heh heh,” Lynn answers with a little chuckle.

“Heh heh… You’re funny, Lynn,” Paula simply says with a smile.

…

Lynn just loses herself looking at her for a moment. For the first time, she _really_ notices her. She has hazel eyes that compliment her blonde hair, and her nose is just right. Not too big, not too small, it’s just right. And, she realizes, she has dimples.

The _cutest_ dimples.

…

“Lynn- Lynn!” Paula panickingly blurts out, and Lynn follows her eyes to see what’s the matter. Before she can even realize that it’s going to happen though, Paula’s falling out of her grasp, and onto the ground below…

Right into the big puddle of mud Paula tried to warn her about.

…

Lynn just looks at her, her mouth agape, her heart now _pounding._ “Oh my gosh- I am _so_ sorry!” she apologizes once more, not even tempering the desperation in her tone.

Paula looks at herself, sickly winces, and then looks up to Lynn with a sorrowful expression. She sadly frowns, then extends her hand for Lynn to help her up without a word.

…

Lynn frowns too, accepting that she has officially messed this whole thing up.

Literally.

…

With that, she reaches out to Paula, and takes her hand.

She tries pulling Paula up, but, the girl won't budge.

Confused, Lynn gives another tug, but Paula still doesn't move.

At first, she thinks that maybe she’s stuck or caught or something. But then she sees the look in Paula’s eyes.

First, they’re vengeful. But then, they’re devious…

...

And with a grin, Paula pulls Lynn with all of her strength, sending her down into the mud with her.

…

As she comes to terms with the reality of the situation, Lynn meets Paula with a look of shock.

But Paula just sweetly smiles, and giggles into her hand.

“Hey. You've got a little mud on you,” she jokes.

…

Lynn finally gets with the program, realizing now just what Paula’s intentions were.

So she smiles too.

“Oh, I've got a little mud on me, huh? Ah, no big deal. It's just a little mud… Not like _all this_ mud on you!” she declares as she takes a fistful of mud and stiffly palms Paula in the chest.

“Uhh! You nub!” Paula playfully retorts, and she returns the favor with some mud slinging of her own.

…

“Ah, that tears it,” Lynn says, and she wrestles Paula onto her back.

“Haha! Stop! It's gonna get in my pants!” Paula says through her laughter.

“It’s gonna be everywhere when I’m done with you, you- you- tall person!” Lynn cleverly ripostes.

…

She has all but forced her into submission, using her bodyweight to keep the taller girl down, and wrapping her hands around her wrists to fully trap her.

Paula tries nudging out of it, but it's no use. Lynn has her pinned.

Panting, she defiantly tells her, “You suck…”

But of course, she smiles as she does, really showing off those dimples.

…

Lynn just looks into her eyes. Here in this moment, feeling the mud on her face, seeing the mud on Paula’s, she can’t help but think back to the night before. All those warm feelings that came with laughing, smiling, and holding hands… They’re back. And they feel even better now that she can really see those hazel eyes outside of that dark, crowded theater.

She just keeps gazing into them, and Paula just gazes back. It makes Lynn’s heart start racing again, in a way that’s newer and more exciting than when she had to regurgitate those spicy subs.

…

Slowly, she lets go of Paula’s wrist with her right hand, and moves a stray strand of hair away from her face.

…

Then, she doesn't even think about it. She just does it.

She kisses her… on the lips.

…

It's not like those cheesy romance movies where they totally get lost in sucking face. It's just a little smooch. Enough to just feel her lips against hers, and to tell her all those things she was trying to say before that just wouldn't come out quite right.

…

“Sorry,” Lynn utters with a smile as she sits back up.

Paula’s eyes widen as her face brightens up. “For what?”

...

After gazing into each other’s eyes a little while longer, Lynn finally gets up to her feet, and extends her hand to Paula once more.

This time, Paula just takes it, and Lynn helps her up to her… foot.

She wraps her arm around her to support her again, and, again, they smile.

…

“I uh… I still wanna take things slow,” Lynn says to her.

…

...

Paula just lets another little giggle escape her.

“Okay.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading my darlings. Now, if you’re wondering why Carol was here and not Sam, it’s because of my other story “Carol Likes Luna.” I don’t feel like typing fifty thousand words to explain myself any further, so just go read it and be prepared to smile a bunch.
> 
> And who’s Tanya? Go read “Live to Lynn” by LoudAutomata16 to find out. I should also say that he inspired the last scene for this chapter, and that he’s the second best Lynn author there is;)
> 
> Anyway… What’s next? Well, I’m not done with Lynn and Paula. I'll say that much. I think I’m going to turn this into a series of one-shots similar to what some other authors do on this site, and just update whenever inspiration strikes. If you have any suggestions for what Lynn and Paula could get into in the future, feel free to share your ideas, and I’ll take them into consideration. Dream work makes the teamwork. Yeah. Something like that.
> 
> Thanks for everything true believers. Hopefully we’ll all see each other again sooner than later:)
> 
>  


	3. Night School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: There’s a scene here about Lynn and Paula wearing underwear. It’s nothing perverse… But I wanted to say something beforehand to prepare you guys.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy today’s chapter!:)

 

“And… done,” Paula says as she finishes filling in the final “B” on Lynn’s arm with a magic marker.

Lynn looks it over, and her smile widens.

“Finally… After all these years, I finally have my FLIBBR…” she says with relief in her tone. She then looks into Paula’s eyes, and a shared feeling of warmth comes to the two girls.

“And it’s all thanks to you,” she adds.

…

Paula blushes and nods her head to the side. “Well… If we’re being honest here… Yeah, it was totally because of me,” she slyly quips, earning her a playful punch to the arm from her teammate.

“Pffft, you think you’re so hot since you got your cast off,” Lynn ripostes.

Paula takes a step back as she keeps smiling the same smile. “I told you when I got back in shape I’d start wiping the floor with ya.”

Lynn playfully winces. “Neh, I’d say we were even. Which, is kind of sad actually, considering you’ve got like- five inches on me.”

…

Paula just smiles to herself and preens a stray hair behind her ear, and Lynn shuts her locker door after getting her things together for the evening.

“Man, I kind of wish I wouldn’t’ve let Maya take the trophy home with her. My hands feel so empty now…”  Lynn tells Paula regarding the championship trophy they won earlier in the evening.

“I bet they do after hogging it to yourself for so long,” Paula snidely jokes. “But you even said yourself that Maya deserved it after that wicked shot. I mean, for as small and sweet as she is, she’s got a mean throw.”

“I was just messin’ around,” Lynn defends. “Besides…”

She skittishly folds her hands behind her back, and gives Paula her best cutesy eye.

“I have my own trophy I get to take home tonight.”

…

Paula’s cheeks really redden now.

“Okay… You got me with that one. That was cute,” she admits.

“What can I say? You make it easy,” Lynn flirts.

…

“I’m kind of nervous about staying the night with you though,” Paula confesses. “I mean… What if your sisters see us… You know… Doing girlfriend stuff?”

Lynn’s smile doesn’t wane in the slightest though. “Don’t worry about it. I’m… I’m working my way around to telling them about us,” she says. “I just kind of want to see how tonight goes first.”

…

Paula’s demeanor changes. “Lynn… I told you I’m fine with taking things slow. I don’t want to be that girlfriend who puts pressure on you to do stuff you’re not comfortable with,” she explains.

“Not this again,” Lynn impatiently says. “And I told _you_ that I don’t wanna be the girlfriend that hides things from other people-”

Her argument is interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

_*JOOOOOOOHN CEEEEEEENA!*_

…

Paula rolls her eyes. “I really wish you’d change that stupid thing.”

“It’s ironic!” Lynn defends as she checks who’s calling. “It’s the Pop Star,” she says before answering the call.

“Hey Dad, what’s up?” she greets.

…

“Uhm, bad news LJ,” Lynn Sr. begins. “I’m in a bit of a jam here, and not the bust-out-a-song-Luna kind…”

Lynn and Paula share a look of concern.

“I got a flat on the freeway. I’m gonna try and change it myself, but… Well… Let’s just say I might be a bit…” he continues.

…

Another shared look of concern, and a shrug on Paula’s part.

“Uhm… Well, what time do you think you’ll get here? It’s already going on 8:30,” Lynn Jr. says to her father.

“Dang it. I don’t know kiddo…” he defeatedly tells her. “Maybe you should call and see if you can get Paula’s parents to give you guys a ride. Or carpool with one of the girls,” he suggests.

“Oop! I gotta go. I think this guy’s gonna pull over and give me a hand. Wait… What the-? Dr. Mata? Say, fancy seeing you here! Wait, what do you mean the last check bounced? Now wait a second, you didn’t even really help her with her dreams- Oh, still on the line. Love ya, kiddo! Call me when you figure something out!” Lynn Sr. rambles before hanging up.

…

“Well, poo,” Lynn Jr. curses.

“Now what?” Paula simply replies.

“Well, I’m pretty sure Maya and Diane already left. And I don’t even think Amy’s mom drives… So I have no idea about her… Would your mom come pick us up?” Lynn asks her.

“Doubt it. I saw she bought stuff to make mimosas earlier.”

“Ah,” Lynn utters with understanding.

...

Paula dons a thoughtful expression. “Well, maybe he won’t be _that_ long? We can wait a little while… Maybe make the best of our alone time…” she says with a flirty little smile.

And now it’s Lynn’s turn to blush.

“Wow… Uhm… _Tempting,”_ she says as she nervously rubs the back of her neck. But she shakes her head, as if to snap herself out of a trance. “But seriously, I feel like we should probably try to figure something out.”

...

Paula concedes and takes a seat on the bench. Lynn then does the same.

“Hmmm… I mean, I really can’t think of anything else to do besides wait for your dad. Unless you think Luna’s girlfriend would come give us a ride?” Paula suggests.

“Maybe… But I don’t wanna seem like a spaz by calling her…” Lynn reasons.

Paula scoffs. “Okay. We just won the basketball tournament, and now you’re being a total square,” she teases.

“Hey! I am not a square!” Lynn cleverly retorts.

“Mhm. You are totally being quadrilateral right now,” Paula adds.

“There’s nothing wrong with my quadriceps?” Lynn argues.

…

Paula amusingly huffs at her statement. “Hmph. Maybe not… But you’re still a square.”

…

Lynn’s face sours. “Oh yeah? I can prove I’m not a square!” she asserts.

“Can you now?” Paula says with an alluring raise of her brow.

“Totally!” Lynn continues.

…

She stands back up from the bench, and goes over to the door to check and see if anyone is around. She peeks her head out to do a little double take, and the outside hall is empty. So, she steps back in, now wearing a devious grin on her face.

“Alright, check it out. I heard a rumor that Ms. Stevens has been sending love letters to Mr. Thorne.”

...

“I thought it was Professor Pasta?” Paula speculates.

“Nah, Mr. Thorne,” Lynn assures her.

“What kind of name is Pasta, anyway?” Paula jokes.

“I dunno… Maybe Italian,” Lynn says with a shrug. “But that’s not the point… The point is, I know how to prove I’m not a square. We’ll sneak into the main building, break into Ms. Stevens’ classroom, and see if we can find one of these love letters.”

“Dang… That’s pretty intense,” Paula responds.

“Oh, now you’re being the square!” Lynn says with a snarky smirk as she points her bony finger in her girlfriend’s face.

…

“Okay, you got me. But… That _does_ kind of give me an idea,” Paula begins. “You know how there’s a pool in the fieldhouse, right?”

“Duh, everyone does,” Lynn rebuts.

...

Paula once again gives Lynn an alluring look.

“Well… Did you know it has heated water?”

…

Lynn’s eyes widen. “Nuh uh!”

Paula simply nods in return.

…

It takes a moment for the gears to get turning in Lynn’s head, but she finally gets with the program.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

...

Paula coolly shrugs. “Yeah, I was gonna say we just stay here and make out, but now I feel like swimming.”

Lynn just smiles at her. “Hey, the night’s still young,” she quips with an alluring eyebrow raise of her own. “Now come on, let’s go check it out!” she says as she takes Paula by the hand and whisks her out into the hall before she can say anything more.

\-----------------------

**Spring is IN THE AIR! And LOVE is too!**

**Take your special someone to the upcoming annual SPRING FLING!**

…

Paula just stares at the poster reading these words, until Lynn breaks her reverie.

“Yo, Paula!” she blurts out.

Paula shakes herself, and looks to her girlfriend.

“Huh?”

“You comin’ or what?” Lynn asks as she steps toward her.

“Oh, yeah,” Paula simply says, disregarding the poster for now.

…

“Don’t yell like that again. Someone could hear us,” she quietly tells Lynn as they resume making their way through the halls.

“Square talk,” Lynn simply rebuts. “There’s probably no one else here.”

“Hey, there’s a difference between being a square and being smart. I wanna feel that heated water,” the taller girl insists. “And security, maybe?”

“Alright, fair enough,” Lynn responds.

…

The further along they get, the more they realize just how dark the hallways of Royal Woods Middle School can be.

Lynn pulls out her smartphone, and uses her flashlight app to brighten the way.

“Uhm… Has your dad texted or anything?” Paula anxiously asks her.

“No. I hope he’s alright,” Lynn replies as she looks at her handheld device. She then turns back to Paula looking over her shoulder all neurotically, and raises a brow. “You good, fam?”

“Nothing… Just... It’s kind of creepy in here at night,” Paula answers as she nervously rubs her arm.

“Pshhh, don’t tell me you’re scared,” Lynn teases.

“I didn’t say scary. I said creepy. There’s a difference,” Paula tells Lynn. And, to an extent, herself.

“Yeah, alright,” Lynn says with a flirty little pinch to Paula’s shirt sleeve.

…

They continue along, and happen to come across the door that leads into a certain aforementioned teacher’s classroom.

“Well, well, well… Ms. Stevens’ room…” Lynn deviously says with a grin as she turns to her girlfriend.

“Oh, come on… You can’t be serious,” Paula responds.

“Hey, it’s not like I planned this, I swear,” Lynn asserts.

“That makes me think you _did.”_

“Okay, so that is something I would do,” Lynn says, “But not this time.”

…

The two girls look to the door, then back to each other.

“You have to admit you’re curious,” Lynn says.

“I am. But going in there to snoop through her stuff? That’s not cool,” Paula argues.

Lynn sullenly sighs. “Yeah, you’re right,” she says. She then puts on a nervous little smile and rubs the back of her neck. “I was just kidding about breaking into her room, you know, heh heh…”

“Sure,” Paula says with a little grin of her own as she crosses her arms. “Now let’s get to that pool, shorty.”

“I told you not to call me that,” Lynn petulantly whines.

“Oh, lighten up… I think your fun-sized,” Paula says as she ruffles her hand through the shorter girls hair.

“Insert groan here…” Lynn quips as she starts walking again.

…

Paula doesn’t follow though. She just stands in her spot, looking back and forth at Lynn and the door to the classroom.

Lynn notices this, and turns back to meet her with a look of concern.

Paula just keeps conflictingly looking between the girl and the door…

“Well… Maybe we can just- see if the door’s unlocked…” she says, and she reaches to the doorknob.

…

And surprisingly, it is.

…

Both girls wear their surprise on their sleeves, especially Lynn.

“Wow. I really was joking dude,” she tells Paula.

Paula considers the options for a moment before peeking through the crack of the door.

She looks back to Lynn and shrugs. “I guess it won’t hurt just to go in and take a look around. I just wanna see what it’s like at night…”

…

Lynn just dumbfoundedly watches on as Paula pulls the door all the way open, and creeps her way inside. “You coming?” she asks.

Lynn looks back at the dark hall, and can feel this strange feeling shiver down her spine. Not fear- as if _she_ would be afraid. But...

“Uhm, alright. But remember later that this is your idea,” she utters to Paula as she follows her inside.

…

“Should I turn on the light?” Paula asks upon stepping foot inside their daytime classroom.

Lynn considers it for a moment, but shakes it off. “What? No. It ruins the mood,” she says, and then she waves her phone to remind Paula of her narrow beam of light.

Paula doesn’t say anything, she just proceeds to pacing around the room.

…

Both girls arbitrarily look at the desks, whiteboards, and posters plastered all about.

One of which is a smaller flier for the upcoming Spring Fling dance.

Lynn studies it, and Paula nonchalantly watches her as she anticipates her reaction.

…

“Pshhh… Lame,” Lynn scoffs as she turns back to Paula.

“Heh heh… Yeah… Lame…” Paula responds, looking to the floor.

…

While she stares at a very interesting tile on the ground, Lynn pussyfoots her way to Ms. Stevens’ desk. She stands on her tiptoes as she hovers over it, just… looking. Not for anything in particular… No way…

Paula eventually notices this, and just stares at her for a moment before Lynn realizes it.

“Well?” Paula simply says.

…

Lynn nervously grins. “Heh heh… Uhm… Just checking to see if she graded our tests yet…”

…

Paula rolls her eyes, and makes her way over, passing right by Lynn and actually _taking a seat_ in the teacher’s chair.

Lynn’s jaw drops at her gesture.

Paula takes it a step even further though, and actually _puts her feet_ on the desk… All while smiling about it.

…

She meets Lynn, whose mouth is still agape, with a sly smile.

“Ms. Loud… I hear you’ve been acting up in class lately… I’m not going to have to keep you after school, am I?” she flirts.

…

Lynn blushes, and swallows some spit swelling up in her throat. “Uhm… Wow…”

…

Paula just giggles about it as she takes her feet off the desk. “I’m not gonna lie; this is like, the only time I’ve ever done anything bad. I’ll probably go home and feel super guilty about it,” she jokes as she wanders her eyes around the desktop.

Lynn takes a quiet breath for herself. “Yeah, I probably will too. But we’re still kids. We’re supposed to do stuff like this or we’ll end up like those losers who sit around and play video games all day…”

“Or read comic books,” Paula adds, still analyzing the desk.

“Or fan fiction,” Lynn furthers.

…

Paula breaks away from _not_ snooping to raise a brow at Lynn. “I don’t know what that is,” she admits.

Lynn just waves her hand to brush her off and drop the banter.

…

She then checks her phone, and there is still nothing from Lynn Sr. Be it that, or the darkness, or the feeling of knowing they’re somewhere they don’t belong…

That weird feeling comes back to her…

…

“Woah…” Paula utters, breaking Lynn’s daze.

“What?” she asks.

With a wide-eyed expression, Paula picks up a piece of paper from the desk, and holds it up for Lynn to see.

Lynn gets closer to lean in, and she squints her eyes to read the paper.

Lo and behold, it appears to be a letter.

…

“Is that what I think it is?” Lynn thinks aloud.

Paula sickly winces, unsure how to proceed.

Nevertheless, Lynn slowly takes the sheet of paper from her hands, and begins to read it out loud. And Paula doesn’t stop her.

…

_“What can I say? I’m nuts about you._

_From your bright eyes and bushy tail, think of you is all I can do._

_I’ve brought you treats, you’ve brought me laughs,_

_A buck-toothed smile, I hope it lasts._

_You're such a cutie, I must admit,_

_I took your picture, just to have it._

_I know this cannot last forever, hiding this inside my closet,_

_But as long as we're together, I promise just to love it.”_

…

...

The girls share a stupefied gaze… And then…

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

The two of them burst into laughter, to the point where Lynn is holding her ribs and Paula is wiping a tear from her eye.

“Holy moley was that bad!” Lynn comments.

“Yeah, I mean… ‘I took your picture just to have it?’” Paula adds.

“Listen, I live with Lucy. I’ve heard good poems. That is _not_ a good poem.”

“I’ve heard better poems in the bathroom stall, aheh,” Paula says with a little laugh.

…

Lynn laughs a little too, and places the paper back on the desk.

“Alright… It’s been established that we’re both terrible jerks with special places reserved in double-hockey-sticks,” she quips.

“Hey, it’s not like anyone’s been hurt. What Stevens doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Paula defends. “...But I’m never going to be able to sit through another of her lectures without thinking of ‘buck-toothed smiles’ ever again…”

“Psssh,” Lynn amusingly scoffs, and she checks her phone again. “Dang. Still nothing from the old man.”

…

 _As soon_ as she utters these words, the girls hear a sudden thumping sound from the nearby classroom closet, startling them.

They look to the closet with fretful faces, but nothing happens.

…

“You heard that too, right?” Paula timidly asks Lynn.

“Uh huh,” she simply says back.

…

The girls allow themselves to relax a bit, but another thumping sound gives them another scare. So much so, that they both gasp…

“Huah!”

...And cling on to one another.

…

They just stand in one another’s arms, frozen in fear, as the thumping now persists.

“Uhm, let’s get the heck out of here,” Lynn states.

“Right,” Paula agrees, and without hesitation, they both make way for the door.

…

But then… through the commotion, they hear what would be best described as a “squeak.”

Because of this, Paula halts, turning back to look once more at the mysterious closet.

Lynn picks up on this, “Dude? What the heck?”

“Hold on,” Paula retorts, and she carefully listens. More “squeaks” become audible.

…

“There’s something in there…” the blonde points out.

“Uh, yeah,” Lynn snidely ripostes. “And I’ve seen enough of Lucy’s B-level horror movies to know that whatever it is will bite our faces off.”

“But what if it won’t? What if this is more like the B-level horror movie where it turns out out teacher traps people in her closet to turn them into zombies or whatever?” Paula argues.

“That’s crazy talk!” Lynn argues back. “I think it’d be much more logical that she’d turn them into vampires.”

…

Paula takes a moment to consider her next move, but comes to a decision.

“I’m going in,” she states.

Lynn tries to reach out and stop her, “Paula,” but the other girl persists.

She makes her way to the closet door… and slowly reaches out for the handle…

…

…

Lynn’s sudden snickering kind of ruins the drama of the moment though, and Paula shoots her a glare.

Lynn looks up from her phone to acknowledge this.

“Oop- sorry. Leni sent me a funny picture of Charles in a hoodie,” she says with a nervous smile as she holds her phone up to display the humorous snapshot.

…

Paula disregards her, and goes back to slowly reaching for the door handle…

…

…

She finally opens it, and…

There is a squirrel inside. A literal, actual, living squirrel.

It just looks to Paula with indifference, unperturbed by her presence.

…

Lynn looks to Paula, Paula looks to Lynn, and they look back to the furry little critter.

“Awwww!” they both gush with smiles.

“It’s so cute!” Lynn comments.

“I can’t believe Ms. Stevens has a squirrel living in her closet,” Paula adds.

…

Just then, the proverbial light bulb goes off above Lynn’s head.

“Aww, that poem isn’t about Mr. Thorne or Professor P… It’s about this squirrel,” she thinks aloud.

Paula puts on her thinking face before agreeing. “Huh. I guess you’re right. That would explain some of the lines in that lame poem.”

…

Lynn nervously rubs her arm. “Ya know… It doesn’t seem so stupid now…” she admits.

Paula sighs. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They then return their attention to the squirrel, who does a little circle around its makeshift bed comprised of towels and blankets, lets out a yawn, and then lays down for a nap.

“Awww…” they both gush again.

…

Paula carefully shuts the closet door again.

“Sorry to bother you little guy,” she says. “No more poking our noses where they don’t belong tonight.”

“Uhm, says you,” Lynn guffaws. “I still wanna see what the fuss is about this pool with heated water.”

“Oh yeah, heh heh,” Paula says as she giggles into her hand. “Well, okay. We’re checking out the heated pool, _and then_ no more poking our noses anywhere.”

…

Lynn smiles a sophomoric smile. “Well, I can think of somewhere you can put your nose,” she jokes.

“Oh- shut up,” Paula says with a smile of her own, and they make their way to the door.

…

However, Paula takes one last look back at a certain poster for a certain upcoming dance.

She sighs to herself, but lets it go as she follows Lynn back out into the hall.

\-----------------------

“Still nothing,” Lynn tells Paula, checking her phone once more for any word from OG Lynn.

“Well… Text him,” Paula suggests.

Lynn thinks it over for a moment. “Ehh, I’ll call him after we’ve done a little swimming,” she says as she puts her phone back in her pocket. The hall annexing the main building of the school and the fieldhouse is illuminated by moonlight, giving it a bright, blue hue.

She looks at Paula, and Paula looks back to her. They both smile soft little smiles, and then Paula invites her girlfriend to hold hands.

All jokes and tough-girl acts aside, Lynn gladly takes it.

…

Together, hand in hand, they quietly make their way through the hall until they’ve entered the fieldhouse. There’s still enough moonlight bleeding into the building that artificial lights aren't necessary, so the girls just continue along until they’ve reached their destination: the pool.

They get to the entrance, and release one another’s hands to admire the view, one where the vibrant blue water reflects along the pristine walls.

“Awesome,” Lynn thinks aloud with a look of wonder.

…

The two girls just smile at one another, and then jog to the edge of the pool. They each look into it with bright shining faces, and then to one another.

“It looks cold,” Lynn quips.

“I’ll take care of that,” Paula says, and she jogs over to the water pump room. Lynn just keeps looking into the water with awe, and kneels down to gently run her fingers through the chilly water.

“I am so glad I don’t have that cast anymore!” Paula proclaims from the pump room.

“I bet!” Lynn simply says in return.

…

A moment later, Paula steps out of the water pump room in her underwear.

Lynn looks up and sees her, and blushes.

“Don’t be a prude,” Paula jokes with a smile. “We can’t get our clothes wet,” she then reasons.

“Oh… Right…” Lynn simply says.

…

Paula walks her way, and then dips a single toe into the water. “Ooo! That’s wicked!” she says regarding the now warmer water. She then looks to Lynn, who is still blushing to herself.

“Well?”

Lynn looks up to her. “Well what?”

“Aren’t you gonna change?”

…

Lynn just meets her with the dumbest look ever. Like, _you want me to~?_

Paula just giggles her signature giggle. “Or you know… Be a square…”

…

Dumbest look ever turns into: _challenge accepted_ face.

All while staring at Paula with said face, she unties her shoes, takes off her socks, and then tosses them to the side.

Paula amusingly raises her brows. “Or not.”

“You just gonna watch, you weirdo?” Lynn jokes with a smile.

…

Paula smiles too, but turns her back and shields her eyes as Lynn gets pool-appropriate.

She decides to test her luck just a little bit, turning back and opening her fingers _just enough_ for a quick little peek.

Lynn notices, “Creeper!” she playfully calls out.

“Sorry!” Paula plays along, going back to shielding her eyes.

…

Finally, Lynn has finished, and Paula turns back to look at her.

She sizes up Lynn, who is now in only her undergarments too, and nods with approval.

“Not bad…”

“Thank you. I pride myself on my physique,” Lynn quips as she kisses her bicep.

“Well, I was actually talking about your SpongeBob undies… But that too.”

…

Lynn looks down to her “bikini bottom” for a moment, and is met by SpongeBob’s smiling face.

…

“It was laundry day?” she says with a shrug.

“Right…” Paula responds.

…

The two girls stand at the edge of the pool, and just look into the water once again.

After a moment of studious admiration, they face one another again.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Paula asks.

“Oh… You know it…” Lynn says.

…

Without another word, the two girls run as far back as they can, and then hug the wall as they take their stances.

“Are you ready?” Paula begins. “On your mark… Get set… Go!”

With that, the girls run to the pool… And then…

…

Paula jumps in, doing a cannonball. Lynn just stops though, watching the other girl make a fool of herself while she laughs about it.

Paula surfaces, and realizes what Lynn has done.

Lynn just has a jolly ol’ time belly laughing about it.

“Wow. You really showed me,” Paula playfully says.

“Hahahaha… That was hilarious!” Lynn boasts.

“Mhm. Much clever. So wow… Now are you gonna get in, or do I have to start splashing you? Actually, you know what?…”

She just starts splashing her anyway.

…

“Huah!” Lynn exaggeratingly gasps. Then, she meets Paula with a playfully serious glare.

“You have dishonored my family for the last time. Now I must challenge you to battle, and bring dignity back to the Loud family name,” she says, mocking Anime style dialogue, moving her mouth even after she’s finished speaking.

“Ha! If you wish to engage in combat, you must first step into my aquatic domain,” Paula plays along. “But heed this warning… My power has increased tenfold now that my leg has fully healed!”

…

Lynn lets out a cartoony, cliche, Anime style “Waaaaah!” and then jumps into the water as if she’s going to hit Paula with a flying kick.

As she surfaces, Paula begins splashing at her again. Lynn’s sure to splash back.

“Your powers are weak!” Lynn continues.

“Stop! You’re getting it in my eyes!” Paula playfully whines, dropping the act.

Then Lynn caves too, and they both laugh as they continue their water fight.

…

They gradually stop splashing at one another, and smile and laugh some more as they take to the ledge to rest.

They lean along it side by side, and look at one another. For a moment, they just get lost looking one another’s eyes, but then blush and look forward.

…

“So, you should probably get a hold of your dad now, huh?” Paula says, almost disappointedly.

Lynn just looks at her again for a moment as she thinks it over. “Well… I mean… There’s no rush…”

Paula sighs, but smiles a soft little smile. “Come on… We have to be ‘responsible young adults’,” she says, pulling herself up over the edge.

She extends her hand for Lynn to take it, who steels herself for a moment before taking it and allowing herself to be helped out.

“You sound like Ms. Stevens,” she jokes.

…

Now out of the water, the two girls look to one another.

“Well, I haven’t started writing poetry yet… So there’s that,” Paula quips.

“You sure? You’ve never wrote any bathroom limericks?” Lynn replies. “Here I sit, all disheartened… Come to deuce, but only farted?” she quotes.

“You have such a way with words…” Paula says in an exaggeratedly enamored tone. “Maybe you should take up writing with Lucy?”

“I’ll put it on my to-do list,” Lynn replies.

...

The girls share a small laugh at that, then make way to their respective piles of clothing.

Lynn gets dressed first, and makes sure to check her phone again. Still nothing from Lynn Sr.

“Okay, I definitely should text him now,” she thinks aloud, and just as she begins composing a new message, her phone dings and buzzes…

…

One new text message.

**Francisco: You alive? Haven’t texted me in a couple days:p**

…

Her heart begins racing.

Paula steps out of the water pump room, drying her hair off with a towel she found.

“The only bad thing about heated water is that it’s even worse when you have to get out. I’m freezing!” she says before noticing Lynn’s shift in demeanor.

“Everything alright?” she asks.

…

Lynn turns back with a clammy expression. “What? Oh. Yeah, I’m alright.”

Paula gets closer to her. “Your dad finally call?” she speculates. She offers the towel to Lynn now, who slowly takes it. Paula can’t help herself though, she uses her height advantage to peek at Lynn’s phone screen.

“Who ya textin’?” she innocently asks.

“Uhm... “ Lynn utters, steeling herself for a moment while she runs the towel through her hair. She concedes though, and simply shows Paula the message from Francisco.

…

Paula goes through the same change in demeanor as Lynn. “Oh…”

…

For a moment, neither one of them say anything as they look off into space.

“I didn’t think you still talked to him,” Paula somberly says first.

“At school yeah… I haven’t been texting him though…” Lynn explains.

…

“You don’t have to stop texting him just because of me,” Paula belatedly responds.

“I know… Just…” Lynn starts, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.

“I don’t like him like that anymore, just sayin’,” she finishes.

...

“I never said you did,” Paula says back.

“I know. I just don’t want to make you feel weird or whatever by talking about him.”

“Well, we go to school with him. And he’s on your crew team. I don’t expect you to pretend he doesn’t exist,” Paula reasons.

...

Even so, Lynn can’t help but wear her guilt on her sleeve. “Okay…” she almost pathetically gets out.

…

Paula sighs as she takes a step closer to her girlfriend. “Dude… Don’t be like that. I wasn’t trying to guilt trip you or anything.”

“I know,” Lynn simply says.

And Paula smiles. “So don’t worry about it! We got to swim in the heated pool!” she reminds her, placing her hands on Lynn’s arms.

…

But Lynn doesn’t smile back. “It’s not- It’s not really Francisco,” she begins.

Paula removes her hands from Lynn’s person, wearing a concerned, somewhat confused expression.

Lynn again steels herself, but bucks up to tell the truth.

…

“I haven’t told anyone about us, you know. Not Margo, not Polly… No one…”

Paula takes a moment to consider this. “Well… I haven’t told anyone either… I mean, my parents know I like girls… But they don’t know about you, still…”

…

For a moment, nothing is said.

“Can I ask you something?” Paula follows with.

Lynn answers with just a piteous look, which is what it is- considering Paula would ask anyway.

“Why does that make you feel bad?”

…

Lynn thinks it over.

“Well… I mean, you’re my girlfriend. We’re dating. I should be telling everyone about you…”

“So what’s stopping you?” Paula now asks.

And again, Lynn thinks it over.

…

“Stupid, petty reasons…” she admits.

Which makes Paula raise a brow. It’s not at all what she expected to hear. “What?”

…

Lynn takes a breath, and then puts on a smile.

“Paula, I’m gonna tell my family. I think it’s time I stopped being a coward and accepted that this is who I am, and who I wanna be.”

Then. she takes Paula’s hand, and the taller girl meets her with doe eyes.

…

“And who I wanna be... is _yours.”_

…

Paula just smiles an endearing smile at her, and it catches on with Lynn, whose smile now matches hers.

…

…

Then, the taller girl opens her mouth, almost as if she wants to speak; but she can’t muster out the words.

Eventually, she finds it in her to say them though.

“Lynn… Will you go to Spring Fling with me?”

…

It takes Lynn by surprise. “Spring Fling? You mean- you and me?”

“Yeah,” Paula says, retaining her smile.

…

Lynn lets the words linger in the air for a moment, taking her proposal into consideration.

But like Paula, her smile doesn't fade.

“You know what? Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that,” she accepts.

“Great,” Paula happily responds.

“Great,” Lynn happily repeats, and they share another small laugh about it as they take each other’s hands.

…

Then, like so many times before, they get lost looking into one another’s eyes. The laughter ceases, but the smiles stay the same.

And slowly, ever so slowly… They each lean in, close their eyes, pucker their lips… and…

…

“HEY!” a loud, deep voice hollers at them, prompting both of them to shriek.

“AHH!”

…

They look over to see a burly man holding a flashlight looking to them, and he does not look amused.

More importantly, his billfold hat reads in fine, white letters: “SECURITY.”

…

Lynn and Paula both gulp as they realize… They’re in trouble.

…

And ironically enough, Lynn’s phone rings.

She checks it, and- of course, it’s her father.

Paula looks to her, she looks to Paula, and all she can think to say is…

...

“Crud.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey effers. Thanks for reading. Now for cringey author’s notes.
> 
> ...
> 
> I’ll be honest, I kind of made this thing up as I went along. The last scene I had planned beforehand, but everything else was freewrite. So, take that for what it’s worth.
> 
> Also, thanks Dr. Mata for helping with a certain plot device and other things. I'll tell everyone to go read “Like a Bad Dream” in return… Since my checks bounce.
> 
> Today’s chapter was partly inspired by a scene in Life is Strange: an awesome, awesome game. (I have no original ideas, people).
> 
> Let’s get this out of the way now… I know nothing about sports except for *gulps* professional wrestling… So don’t expect much from me in this regard.
> 
> There’s nothing more manly than a grown man (ha) typing “cutesy eye.”
> 
> I almost didn’t have Paula lose her cast, but her crutch does not define her! Okay, it did, but now being Lynn’s fanfiction girlfriend does… will… something…
> 
> I’ve been getting back into DBZ lately, and I always love when Western shows make fun of anime. I got a little carried away with that part XD.
> 
> It was so hard to write about teenage girls stripping down to their skivvies in a way that wasn’t crude. I hope I did a good job being tasteful. Remember people: these are KIDS. Keep it classy, San Diego.
> 
> …
> 
> Now for the future. Yes, the next chapter will pick up where this one left off, and all I can say is: you won’t wanna miss it. After that, I’m done forever.
> 
> JK har har got you fam. I have a couple more chapters planned for this, but I wanna get more “Mind Over Matter,” my Lola fic that you should totes check out, done. I will say, I have a Spring Fling chapter planned, and something that will involve all of my favorite TLH ships, so you won’t wanna miss those;)
> 
> ...
> 
> Until then, be sure to drink your Ovaltine, hugs not drugs, and may the force be with you.
> 
>  


End file.
